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Sunday, March 31, 2019

IAQ Moroccan Star Block

I'm so happy to let you know that I'm a guest designer for the International Association of Quilters this year. I am the featured designer for the month of April, and on their site, I'm sharing a brand new pattern.  I'll be showing photos of the quilt here within the next few days, but the pattern is only available to IAQ members right now.  I've also created a separate block for the Night Sky BOM Mystery Quilt, which is ongoing throughout 2019.  My block is called Moroccan Star, and I've put together a little tutorial for you!




For one 12.5" block, you'll need-

4 rectangles, 3.5" x 5"- print A (shown in navy)

4 squares, 3.5"- print B (shown in berry)
4 squares, 2"- print B (shown in berry)

1 square, 3.5"- print C (shown in teal)
8 squares, 2"- print C (shown in teal)

4 squares, 5"- solid white
8 squares, 2" solid white



Before we get started, it's important to note that this block requires corner-to-corner sewing, also known as stitch and flip corners or snowball corners. There are a few different ways to do these, and you can choose whichever method you like best.  Some people draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the corner square and use this line as a sewing guide.  Another way is to press the corner squares in half diagonally and use the fold as a sewing guide.  Both of those are definitely the more traditional ways to do this, but I have another method that is just as accurate without the tedious task of drawing all those lines, or pressing.  Check it out-

Sewing Corners With the Tape Method-

I've written out the steps for you, but I also have a photo below for more visual learners.

1.  First, take a piece of painter's tape and put it on your machine and table, extending the right edge of the tape straight out from your needle.  Your needle and the tape should be in one continuous, straight line.  See, we're still using a line, but it just isn't drawn on our fabric!  Be sure you don't cover the feed dogs on your machine with the tape!

2.  Lay your corner square on top of the background square.  Align both top and bottom corners with the edge of the tape.

3.  Put the top corner under your needle and start sewing corner to corner, keeping the bottom corner aligned with the edge of the tape as you sew.

4.  Admire your straight seam!  It may take a couple of these for you to feel comfortable sewing without the drawn line, but I promise that after a few, you'll never go back to line drawing again!






Okay, now that we have the piecing basics down, let's get to the block units!  We'll start with the corner units.



Sew one 3.5" square and one 2" square of print B to opposite corners of one white square as shown.












Trim each corner to 1/4" seam allowance.


*Bonus!  If you like, you can sew the cut off triangles for an extra half-square triangle unit.















Press both corners open.  Repeat, using the remaining three white 5" squares and print B squares to create four total corner units.














Now for the side units, which create the points of the star.  Sew a white 2" square to the corner of one rectangle of print A.



Then sew one 2" square of print C to the opposite corner.














Trim the corners to 1/4" seam allowance just as before, and press open.










Once you've pressed the corners open, sew another white square and print C square to the remaining corners to finish the points.


*Time saving tip- use chain piecing for the corner squares for all corner units, plus the first two corner squares for all side units first.  Then trim the corners and take all of them to the ironing board in one trip.  Once those are done, just sew the final two corners of the side units!  This minimizes trips to the ironing board and makes this block go together pretty quickly!












You guessed it!  Trim and press open again to finish your side unit.  Make four of these as well.















Time to lay out the block pieces!  Arrange the pieces as shown, using the 3.5" square of print C as the center square.

Sew the block together in rows, just as you would sew a nine patch block.














Your finished block should measure 12.5".  *the angle of the photo is making the block look wonky, but I promise, it's not!  :)















Star blocks really are versatile, aren't they?  There are so many different variations, and lots of ways to make them stand out.  When I designed this block, I wanted to make sure that the block was pretty on its own, but it was also important to me to create a block that would also be beautiful when laid out as a full quilt.


When several of these blocks are put together, a wonderful secondary pattern emerges.  I love the medallion shape created in the negative space, as well as the squares on point where the corners converge.  I had so much fun creating this block, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

For those of you popping over from IAQ, welcome!  I hope you'll take a few minutes to browse all of the fun stuff happening here, including a weekly link party, monthly giveaways, tutorials, and plenty of quilty inspiration.  I would love for you to use one of the buttons on my right sidebar to follow along with me!

And if you're a regular reader and haven't yet, you should definitely check out the International Association of Quilters site HERE (this is an affiliate link).  It was started by Becky Jorgensen of Patchwork Posse, and each month, Becky is joined by a different guest designer with an exclusive pattern.  When you join, you'll have access to my quilt pattern (I'll show it at this week's Needle and Thread Thursday).  Plus, you'll get all of the exclusive designer patterns for the rest of this year, as well as ALL of the featured designer monthly patterns- all the way back to 2014!  There are also designer interviews, a group for connecting and swapping, printable PDF resources, and even exclusive discounts to online fabric shops.  Check it out!


Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Herringbone in Blues

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  For the past few days, I've been working like crazy to finish up a new quilt top from the blue and aqua scrap panels I showed last week.


Now that it's finished, I have a little confession to make.  I really do despise making tons of half square triangles.  They always take longer than I think they should, and all of that trimming is absolutely not my idea of fun.  I know, I know.  Half square triangles are the building blocks of SO many great quilts, and I just need to suck it up, right?  Yeah, I guess.  Sigh.  It's a good thing they're worth it.

I'm flying to Michigan on Saturday to teach a quilt guild there (yay!), and I'm going to see if I can get this one finished up before I leave, or at least quilted.  Cross your fingers!

Before we party this week, take a look at some of my favorites from last week's link up.  This cute baby quilt was shared by Quilting in the Heartland-


Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting shared her finished Gypsy Wife quilt, and it looks so neat with the low volume background strips!


This pretty green quilt is by Jan at The Colorful Fabriholic-


Johnna at Yellow Bird Stitches linked up this fun and scrappy quilt.


And this clamshell quilt by Kris at Sew Sunshine is just gorgeous!



Okay, y'all, let's party!

1You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.
3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link.  
4. Spread the comment love far and wide!
5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)



Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Back to the Mission

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  Now that I'm all finished with my giant color wheel wall, I'm back to the mission I started in January, which is to completely empty my scrap jars.  Of course the color wheel used up some scraps, but a 24" mini quilt from each jar really isn't going to get the job done.


One helpful part about working with each of my color jars recently is that I have literally put my hands onto every bit of scrap fabric I have, so I know exactly what's in there.  It came as no surprise to me that my blue and aqua/teal jars were the fullest, and my newest project is going to make great use of these cool, soothing colors.

I sewed the scraps using the methods from my book, Stash Statement.  It is such a fun and relaxing technique, and it's so easy to just pull scraps of two complimentary colors (or just one!) and start sewing.  You might notice that I haven't even pressed these panels yet.  I did this with my Woodwork quilt as well, though I have a different plan in mind for these panels.  Now that the improv panels are done, this will be a quilt top in no time!



Before we get to the highlights from last week's party, I owe you some winners from last week's March sponsor post.


First, the winner of the $25 gift certificate to LouLou's Fabric Shop is comment number 37, Beth!




And, the two winners of the Love American Style charm packs from Fort Worth Fabric Studio are comments 75 (Heather) and 53 (Rosemary).

 

Congrats to all of you!  I will be contacting you via email, so be on the lookout so you can get your prizes!

Okay friends!  let's take a look at some of last week's awesomeness.  This quilt by Katie Mae Quilts just pops!


This lovely quilt is by Becca at Pretty Piney Quilts-


Liz at Savor Every Stitch shared this pretty quilt, called Unchained-


This sweet butterfly quilt is by JanineMarie at Quilts from the Little House-


And I'm loving this purple abacus quilt by Jen at deJong Dream House-


Okay, y'all!  Let's get our party on!

1You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.
3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link.  
4. Spread the comment love far and wide!
5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)




Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Oh Happy Day!

Today is the day!  I worked hard yesterday to finish up the center piece for my color wheel wall just so that I could share the finish with you at today's party.  I love it SO much.


I know it's hard to tell in the photo, but these minis take up the entire wall (each one measures 24 inches square).  If you look back at the photo of the original wall, you will see that the thermostat is not centered.  It was only about five inches to the left of center, but that was enough to throw a wrench in this design.  I just didn't have enough wiggle room on the wall, and they wouldn't have fit unless I had an electrician center the thermostat on the wall (which of course, I did- totally worth it).

At first, I was a little stumped about how to finish the center of the wall.  I originally thought that I wanted to create a black/gray/white color gradient piece, but when I realized that it would have to be so long and skinny, I decided against it.  A long and skinny shape is perfect for text though!  Ultimately, I decided that a little uplifting message on crisp white would be perfect.  The space above the chair rail is only a couple inches shy of six feet, so this is a LOT of color in one place.  The text actually gives the eye a place to rest, and I think it ties the whole thing together without being overwhelming.


The center mini is created with solids and raw edge appliqué using Heat n Bond Lite.  It was lots of fun to use a rainbow of Aurifil 50 wt. thread to stitch down each letter.


I went back and forth with myself on how to quilt it.   I really wanted a filler that would allow the white background to recede with the solid letters popping out.  So, I quilted with a very dense stipple around the letters, and then finished it off with a solid black binding.  The center mini measures 9.5" x 40", and I promise it's straight and square (as are all of the minis).  Since I've only pinned the top of each quilt to the wall, you can see that there are places where the bottom of the quilts aren't completely flush against the wall.  That's all good in person, but gives the impression that they aren't straight and square in the pic.

Remember my happy accident with the quilting?  Well, I was able to work it into my design very easily.  Once I realized my mistake, it just took a little planning.  The quilts with only two swoops in the quilting design are on top and bottom, and the ones with four swoops in the design are on the sides.



Since these are up on a wall, it's not easy to get close-up views, and of course these are indoor photos. So, if you missed a color or two and want to take a look at outdoor detail shots of each mini, here are the links to the original posts-  blue, red, orange and pink, teal and yellow, purple and green.

This wall has been lacking inspiration for a long time, but not anymore.  Just walking into my studio brightens my mood and puts a huge smile on my face.  With all of that color, how could a day in my studio be anything but a happy day?

I actually had a friend ask me for photos of the steps in my process for putting these together in order to get the color gradient effect just right.  Since I already have the step photos, if there is enough interest, I would be happy to write up a tutorial for it.  Just let me know in the comments.

Last week's party was amazing, as usual!  Paula at The Sassy Quilter is ready for the 2019 holiday season with this awesome Modern Christmas Trees quilt  (you're not behind, Paula, you're just WAY ahead).


Kris at Sew Sunshine shared this gorgeous Sunset Strip quilt.


Nicole at Handwrought Quilts linked up this beautiful rainbow quilt.  This is the back, and you definitely don't want to miss the front of this beauty.


And finally, Pi Day is upon us, and this Pi to Infinity mini by Slice of Pi Quilts is the perfect way to mark the occasion.


Okay y'all!  It's time to show me the latest projects from your sewing space.  Let's party!

1You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.
3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link.  
4. Spread the comment love far and wide!
5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)




Tuesday, March 12, 2019

March Sponsor News and TWO Giveaways

Ahh...spring is finally here!  Lately, we've had some milder temperatures, and even though it has been rainy, and even though I know that the temperatures will likely dip a couple more times, it makes me happy to know that winter is on its way out. For me, the arrival of spring brings a renewed energy to create, along with plenty of fresh inspiration.  How about you?  If spring has energized your creativity, I have the details on plenty of great sales to help you get those projects done.  This post also includes two giveaways, so let's jump right in!





We'll kick off this month's post with LouLou's Fabric Shop.  LouLou's is a great place to shop for beautifully curated bundles, as well as bundles of a specific collection, and they have a fantastic coupon for you this month!


Through this Friday ONLY, you can receive 25% off of their fat quarter bundles with the code Bundle.  Wow!  That's a deal that's hard to pass up.









LouLou's is also sponsoring the first giveaway for today's post.  One lucky winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to spend on anything you choose.  Woohoo!



LouLou’s Fabric Shop
Shabby Fabrics is the home for so many clubs, you're sure to find one that is perfect for you, and if you love florals, their latest block of the month quilt is a stunner.
The World of Blossoms BOM has vibrant colors, and gorgeous flowers that will brighten any day.  The great thing about Shabby Fabrics appliqué pieces is that they arrive to you pre-fused and laser cut for precision.  That means that all you have to do is iron them down and stitch them in place!  Read more about this BOM club HERE!
                       Shabby Fabrics



At Lady Belle Fabrics, there are so many bundles, it's hard to pick a favorite.  New in their shop though, is a whole section of solid bundles.  There are plenty of bundles to coordinate with your favorite fabric collection, like this bundle of Tula Pink solids.


Lady Belle Fabric

If you love print fabrics best, Lady Belle has you covered there too.  There are lots of designer collections, as well as specially curated print bundles to choose from, and their sale sections even have bundles priced as low as 40% off, like this bundle by Joel Dewberry!
Be sure you check out their Last Chance section.  This section is filled with gems, including LOTS of out of print fabrics.  As they destash and organize, the section will be updated, so check back often so you can snag that fabric you've been looking for!
And don't forget- if you are looking for someone to help you finish your quilts, Lady Belle offers longarm quilting services!
Finally, over at Fort Worth Fabric Studio, there are lots of fun thing happening.  Check out this new Deconstructed Star Quilt Kit.  The black and cream fabrics with little pops of color are so pretty!
They're also ready to help you welcome the warmer weather with this fun Stars -n- Stripes bundle.  Picnic season is right around the corner!
         Fort Worth Fabric Studio








Fort Worth Fabric Studio is sponsoring the final giveaway for today.  TWO lucky US winners will each receive a charm pack of the super cute collection Love American Style.


These fabrics are perfectly patriotic, and sure to make a project worthy of a spring picnic, or baseball game.












Wow!  Before you head off to these amazing shops to check out the great sales, be sure to leave a single comment to enter both giveaways.

If you are not in the US, please let me know!

Remember to leave an email address if you're a no-reply blogger, and only one entry per person please!  Unfortunately, replies to your own comment counts as an entry (the system numbers those, too), so remember to put your email address in your comment if necessary.

Additional replies/comments/entries are always deleted.  I'll announce the winners at NEXT week's NTT (March 2oth).  Happy shopping and good luck!  :)

This giveaway has now ended.  Thanks so much to all who entered.  :)


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